LITTLE ROCK (AP) - The names of about 130,000 Arkansas residents permitted to carry a concealed handgun would be kept secret under a proposal endorsed by a Senate committee Tuesday, over the objections of media organizations who say the information should be kept public.

The measure is among several aimed at loosening gun laws that are expected to win legislative approval after Republicans won control of the House and Senate in last year's election. The push for looser gun laws in Arkansas comes as Congress is considering tighter gun control laws in the wake of a school shooting in Connecticut last year.

The Senate State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee endorsed by a voice vote legislation that would exempt the concealed carry information from the state's Freedom of Information Act. Current law allows the names and ZIP codes of permit holders to be released.

Sen. Bruce Holland, R-Greenwood, said he proposed making the list secret after a constituent said he was worried by a New York newspaper's decision to publish the names and addresses of concealed carry permit holders in the wake of last year's Connecticut school shooting.

"I'm very sensitive to the Freedom of Information Act and believe it should be protected, but this is more of a privacy issue," Holland said.

News organizations, however, argued that the move would go against a compromise struck with the Legislature in 2009 after lawmakers then proposed making the list secret. The current law was the result of that compromise.

"This bill would eliminate a balance between personal privacy and open government," said Dennis Byrd, executive editor of Stephens Media's Central Arkansas newspapers.

Byrd and David Bailey, managing editor of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, said they weren't interested in publishing the entire list of Arkansas residents allowed to have concealed handguns but said the public has an interest in accessing the information.

Bailey said his newspaper can use the list to "spot check" and cross-reference it with other lists, such as convicted felons.

Two concealed carry permit holders told the panel they worried that keeping the list public would jeopardize their safety.

"If I have to protect myself, I would certainly not want somebody coming into my house expecting a gun," said Scotty Keller, a retiree from Faulkner County who said she recently received her concealed carry permit. "I want to be the person with a surprise, not him."

Sen. David Johnson, the only lawmaker on the panel who could be heard voting against the measure, said he believed the public has a right to know who has concealed weapons. Republicans hold 5 of the 8 seats on the panel.

"Homeowners and citizens of the state have an interest in knowing who of their neighbors may possess concealed weapons and the press has a legitimate interest in it too, I believe," Johnson, D-Little Rock, told reporters after the vote. "I think Arkansas so far has been very responsible in the use and access of the list."

A spokesman for Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe, who signed into law the 2009 compromise legislation, said the governor opposed Holland's bill but declined to say whether he'd veto the legislation if it reached his desk.

It only takes a simple majority to override a governor's veto in Arkansas. Republicans hold 51 of the 100 House seats and 21 of the 35 Senate seats.

"Governor Beebe feels that a good compromise was reached in 2009 that protected the privacy of permit holders while preserving the State's FOI act," Beebe spokesman Matt DeCample said. "Setting aside that compromise now would deteriorate the FOIA, and the governor opposes the bill."

Beebe earlier said he opposed new restrictions to the FOI in general.

"I've never been for FOI restrictions, never been for them," Beebe said.

The Senate on Tuesday was expected to give final approval to a measure that would allow concealed handguns in churches and other places of worship if the institutions OK it.

Beebe has said he plans to sign that measure into law, but wants to work with legislators to develop another bill to address concerns that insurers could raise the premiums of churches that opt to allow concealed handguns.

Other measures pending in the Legislature include a proposal to allow faculty and staff at colleges and universities to carry concealed handguns. A House panel is expected to consider that measure next week.